Do you know how to drive a manual car? If you do, kudos because in the United States only 1 percent of these cars are produced! And it makes sense. Why think when you don’t have to? 

This mentality is not unique to the auto industry. It is directly analogous to how your brain works when it comes to decision-making. It does not want to think unless it has to in order to make a decision. 

Unlike cars, people encounter situations where they need to stop and think through their steps in manual mode. System 2 is this manual mode. It is slow and deliberate. When the brain is acting in System 2, it exercises deliberate control to slow down and analyze all available variables before coming to a conclusion. 

System 2 plays a strong role in consumer decision-making. Anticipating this kind of “hard” thinking is therefore crucial. So when is System 2 most likely engaged? And how does it influence consumer psychology? 

System 2 and Consumer Psychology

There are times when exerting the mental energy to take manual control is necessary, and there are clear instances of this in consumer behavior. One of the key scenarios which reliably engages system 2 is when they encounter a particular kind of product. Understanding which products are System 2 oriented is key to planning for this kind of thinking. 

First, consider your product portfolio - are these purchases that a consumer really needs to think about, or do they often buy on a whim? Consumers are most often using system 2 for big-ticket, expensive purchases, such as buying a car, or electronic equipment. In addition, products with a complex array of features of considerations also generate high demands for their thinking. 

Think about shopping for auto insurance, a new home loan, a new accounting software, or a CRM for your company. No one ever signs a three million dollar Salesforce contract on a whim. Once you’ve identified the scenarios where System 2 thinking is exerted, you can plan accordingly. It requires a different approach than more impulsive, System 1 products do. 

Marketing to System 2 Decision-Making

Overall, planning for System 2 means slowing things down.

To plan for this, assess your current communication around these System 2 products. Don’t appeal to impulses. Instead, engage the intellect of the consumers, and provide them with the variables relevant to their decision. Since System 2 products often involve a longer, more protracted decision time - be patient. You don’t have to - and likely can’t - sell them all at once. 

Invite them in, and consistently provide them with relevant data, features, and other persuasive content that is more rationally grounded than normal. Instead of trying to speed them up - with scarcity tactics, and limited-time offers - take it slow and engage their System 2. Take it at their natural pace. These slower tactics also apply to the buying experiences themselves - both in physical retail, as well online. 

Here, you want to give your consumer the mental space, as well as the input they need in order to engage in this intensive mental processing. For example, instead of forcing the user to switch between tabs or shop around, provide price comparisons on your own website. They anticipate that they’re going to compare features across similar models and have those charts right on your own website or store. System 2 craves data, so give consumers what they want. Your goal is to slow down the user and present them with the opportunity to engage and analyze. 

Don’t let the hard thinking elements of consumer psychology surprise you. Instead - consider it, plan for it, and adapt accordingly. Once you begin planning in advance for hard thinking, your marketing becomes much easier.

Photo by serjan midili on Unsplash

References for Applying System 2 Thinking to Marketing

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.